And as to be expected, once you THINK you have figured out a
routine, life comes along and says, “Hi, can I put a couple of wrenches in your
day?Thanks!”It was pretty humorous, in retrospect.In the morning I was greeted with a gas leak that
took all morning to resolve.Orders got
pushed out into the afternoon.No exercise,
but blogging and masterminding could be salvaged during the evening.Family time turned into a WWF showdown. My 4
year old got a nice shiner from her 8 -year old sister who kicked her in the
eye while doing a cartwheel.World War 3
broke out, but after an hour, yelling and crying turned into laugher. By the
end of the night, my anxiety level was at a ten because today’s agenda was
nowhere near complete.Exhausted, I made
myself sit in front of the computer to write a blog post.Two sentences in, the baby started to
cry.I lifted him up and as I watched
him eat, my anxiety eased.It is then
that I realized I am my own worst enemy.Here I have a precious baby in my arms, and I’m worried about my to-do
list. So I didn’t get everything I needed to get done completed.I did however get the “must-do’s” done. The
rest could wait until tomorrow.

There are always going to be days such as today. It’s
learning to let go of the expectations that is the hardest part for me.Maybe today’s wrenches were there for a
reason.Maybe it was a reminder to slow
down.Maybe it was a reminder that
tomorrow’s Girls Night Out is REALLY important.Whatever the reason for my wrench filled day,
I need to stop beating myself up for what didn’t get done. I need to start
appreciating what did get done and who I spend my time with.Most importantly, I need to appreciate this
glass of wine!

About Me

I'm a third generation "Oaklander”; have two wonderful girls; and a really cool husband! I've been a classroom teacher in OUSD for 8 years. Now, I work on the Oakland MILE Project, a project that researches the impact music has on student learning. I also run my dream business. Handbrewed Soaps™ was born when my husband and I came up with the idea to “marry our passions” together, his brewing beer and mine hand-brewing soap! I started making cold process soap 4 years ago out of the need to provide my family with a better alternative to commercial soaps that extracted the oils out of our skin and replace them with harmful chemicals that irritated us. I wanted a soap that would clean without added chemicals and without taking away the essential oils in my skin. Through the years, I have experimented with herbs, fruits, and vegetables from my backyard. Then I made soap out of my husband’s beer. I was hooked, and Handbrewed Soaps™ was born. This blog is about what I “brew-up”: an idea, a craft/home project, an adventures. I can’t guarantee everything will be a success, but it will definitely be entertaining. I also encourage you to check out my store at handbrewedsoaps.com.